Wallpaper Tips – How To Buy Wallpaper

5 Great Tips on How To Buy Wallpaper.2>

These how to buy wallpaper tips will make your wallpaper buying experience easier.

As you know, I have been in the wallpaper business for way more years than I can remember or admit.

I have helped and assisted many, many customer on selecting wallpaper for their home over the years. I have totally loved “nearly” every minute of this crazy decorating career.

Through my experience of operating, managing and owning a retail wallpaper store I have learned a few basic wallpaper tips that everyone needs to know before the big shopping day. Hopefully these 5 wallpaper tips will make your shopping go tons smoother.

1. Study and actually think about what you would like to accomplish with the new wallpaper in your home. Are you trying to lighten the room, maybe make it look bigger, or give it a possible theme? If you see a magazine picture, internet idea, TV (you can pause it, remember) or Pinterest, or totally any inspiration or vision in that head of yours. Go ahead dream big and bring it with you.

2. Bring a few color samples from your home, a small piece of carpet, tile, granite,pillow or anything that can be used to match the colors of your room, with your new wallpaper. If not, get out the trusty smart phone and shoot as many pictures as your heart desires.
Seriously the more the better, plus you will save lots of time if the store employee is good.

3. Measure the area on your walls that will be covered with wallpaper. This is not the room size, but like I said the areas on the wall you plan to cover. Good ole elementary math still works, Width x Length=Total Sq ft. This information will allow the store to calculate the quantity of single rolls needed to purchase. The store will allow for the pattern match also know as the repeat. Plus don’t worry if the paper is pasted or not pasted, I recommend to always add a clear wallpaper adhesive to the back. Google wallpaper hanging for lots of direction.

Wallpaper is priced single and ONLY packaged in a double roll (bolt) everyone seems to get confused with this and honestly I agree but our industry set the standard over a 100 years ago and they are not changing. Most wallpaper has approximately 56 sq ft per double.

4. Make sure and get a sample to take home or check out the wallpaper book (just like the library). Many stores will offer a small free sample or allow you to purchase a bigger sample to take home. Trust me on this one, your lighting will be different than the showroom fluorescent lighting.

Go home and tape the sample to the wall, and live with it a day or two. Make sure you love it! View the taped sample in the morning, afternoon and evening light, as it does change. And do not ask for opinions of your neighbor or mother in law, everyone’s tastes vary greatly. The reason there is such a huge selection? Yup, you guessed it “variety is the spice of life”.

5. Make sure you get an extra roll of wallpaper, please!! Especially if you are hanging the wallpaper yourself rather than using a professional hanger. This is a must, in case you mess up or your toddler decides to help you. You never want to have to go buy more after you start the project. If you go back, they may no longer have the same lot/run number you originally purchased, then you can be in a heck of a mess.

It is also great to have an extra roll for unexpected repairs that may happen in the future, like a shower leak or a door knob hole. Most customers do not like to shell out the extra dollars to have a roll sitting in a closet but, you may never ever need it. BUT, if you ever do need it, you will thank me.

I hope these simple little wallpaper tips will help make it a little easier the next time you are in the decorating mood to update the wallpaper in your home. Our national wallpaper industry reported recently the average time to replace wallpaper is every 7 years, got the itch? I hope so and happy wallpaper hunting! As always, have a question, email me lelandswallpaper@gmail.com and I will do my best to help you, good luck.